Australians support same-sex marriage in poll, paving way for legislation

A marcher holds aloft a sign while participating in a marriage equality march in central Sydney. (Reuters)

SYDNEY — The majority of Australians support the country becoming the 26th nation to legalize same-sex marriage, the results of a survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.

More than three quarters of the country’s eligible voters took part in the non-compulsory survey. The poll is non-binding but the government has pledged to put a proposal to parliament if voters were in favor of same-sex marriage.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said 61.6 percent of voters cast their ballots in support of same-sex marriage, with 38.4 percent opposing.